Music Box
by sasannisa
Summary: Zutara song drabbles
1. Vanilla Twilight

**Hey everyone! I was having trouble with the sequel of 'Shopping For Love' when this idea of writing song drabbles came up. Therefore, I decided to write whatever that comes to my mind first. Don't worry, I'm still going to continue 'Shopping For Love', you just wait! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA nor the songs that inspired this story.**

**Vanilla Twilight – Owl City**

Dusk has always have the most spectacular views aside from dawn. Gradations of red-orange-yellow gleam throughout the sky while the newborn evening creeps over the edges with darkness.

Though she admits she got bored of _oohs_ and _aahs_ every time the sun sets, she can't take her eyes off of this dashing scenery she's witnessing at the moment.

There's something odd yet amusing with the color this time; the sky is no longer burnt, but instead replaced by gold and topaz which are painted among the thin threads of clouds—almost _milkish_, leaving a new awe in each of them who is watching.

But that is not why Katara sits still on the cold blocks of ice she bent herself. Somehow, the vanilla twilight reminded her of a certain firebender whose eyes are as captivating as the color she's been amazed at. Only by remembering those amber orbs, her chilled body suddenly stops from quivering—as if there's a stack of ignited firewood beside her and embraces her with warmth. Just like how she felt in his strong and gallant arms.

She brings her hand to her face and wipes a drop of tear that has managed to escape from her eyes. She then whispered with cracked voice to that someone on the other side of the world, "Oh, Zuko, I wish you were here."


	2. Looking Up

**Looking Up – Paramore**

Zuko lets out a relieved sigh as he finished reading the neat handwriting of the Avatar, describing the conditions in the Earth Kingdom which he reconstructs together with the Earth King, Kuei. They have managed to fix some damages in some places that were caused by the Hundred Year War and are working on their Harmony Restoration Movement (read The Promise trilogy).

He folds the letter in half and puts it away on his desk. He mentally smiles at the thought of how the world is on its way to peacefulness and prosperity. Things are finally looking up.

Sure, there are still some problems out there but _hey_—what are friends for? They have shared his burdens that have weighted his shoulders, props him and palliates him. And the current Fire Lord appreciates that.

"I would be glad if my personal heater stays put in bed."

Zuko turned his head toward the door and formed a smile on his lips. He walked to his beautiful lover who is leaning on the entrance, a maroon garment that seems more like a blanket covered her torso and drapes over the floor. Enamored, he hugged her waist and pulled her closer.

He admires her body, head to toe, analyzing every inch of her with wide eyes. He thanks the Spirits for this enthralling chance that is to have her as his lass. "If you're cold, why don't you put on some clothes?" he asked.

Katara raises an eyebrow at him. "So no morning rounds?" She pouts her lips and puts on her best puppy eyes, making him even more enticed. He captures her lips with his own while his hands trail down to her ass to grope it . He receives a soft moan as a reward.

"You'll be the death of me, _peasant_," he whispered to her ear, making her shiver as she feels his breath on her neck.

Yes. Things are definitely looking up for the Fire Lord.


	3. Say It Again

**Say It Again – Marie Digby**

She blinks rapidly in disbelief. Her lips are agape, shaping a small 'o' as she inhales an audible gasp. She can feel her hands shake while she pulls them upward to cover her mouth. She withstands herself not to bloodbend as her body fluid boils beneath her skin, almost melting her on the spot. Her face started to blush; at first it holds the soft pink color but then it continues to darken, showing a deep crimson red that outmatches her mocha skin.

"Katara…" whispers the young man standing before her. How his raspy voice conveys her name makes the veins in her ears twitch in excitement, as if it's the most beautiful sound she has ever heard.

"I'm not dreaming, am I?" she manages to talk with shaky voice. She can feel her throat throbbing among the sentence.

Zuko chuckles lightly—the second most beautiful sound she has ever heard—at Katara's response. "No, you're not," he says as he took her hands in his and brings her closer. "I love you, Katara," he speaks one more time only to receive the same reaction she has showed earlier.

Katara swears if she was an airbender, she would leap ten feet into the sky or perhaps higher, to the heavens. It feels like the whole world just stops when she hears those three words oozing out from the firebender's lips. Confessions always leave her speechless.

The Fire Lord laughs again. No matter how many times he phrases his feelings toward his beloved waterbender, her reaction is always the same like the first time he confessed two years ago. And he loves it.


	4. Wedding Dress

**Wedding Dress – Taeyang **

His hands are curled up in fists, holding back his fingers from spitting fire sparks every time they twitch. He could hear himself swallowing that huge lump down his throat yet it seems to stuck in there for some reason. He grits his teeth, holding a mixed-up unsettling emotion—wrath, rage, resentment, annoyance, exasperation,_ jealousy_—that struggles to push itself out of him. No, he won't let those feelings burst out. Because if he does, the Avatar would need an extra healing session in fixing the black eyes he's got.

He stretches his hand toward her face only to pull it back to his sides. His fingers trembling, fighting the urge to snatch that _thing _and throw it away or perhaps burn it down to ashes. He had suffered enough when he thought the water girl had found a man back in the old days when he was still chasing them around. It was his _worst _nightmare ever.

He knew this would happen eventually. But he didn't know he would feel this way. It bothers him. That _thing _bothers him. So much. Sure, it looks beautiful with all the silver color and the nice details, he admits it himself there's no way he can outmatch the work on that artifact. In fact, it's so perfect he can't take his eyes off of it.

Therefore he closes his eyes and prays to the Spirits to wake up from the bad dream he's having. It looks like he's not pious enough because when he opens his eyes, that _thing _is still there, taunting him with its gleam and existence. Petrified, he finally realizes this is really happening.

"Congratulation," he manages to speak. "It's beautiful."

Katara touches her betrothal necklace. "Thank you. Aang carved it himself. "

"When's the big day?"

"As soon as he gets back from the Earth Kingdom."

"When is that?"

"Seven days tops."

Zuko gulps once more, eyes darted at the ground. It has only been two years since the war ends. Katara is already at her marrying age and he has waited for her to be. After all they've been through, this is just unbearable.

"Zuko," she touches his shoulder.

He winces his good eyebrow and looks away from her gaze. "I'll be there."

Katara bites her tongue, forbidding herself to say anything more. This is quite enough. Though she feels the need to utter this one; "I'm sorry." Then she disappears behind the door, leaving Zuko alone in his dark chamber and a golden carved pendant along with its thin burgundy ribbon in his tight clenched fist.


	5. Happy Ending

**Happy Ending – Mika**

The girl sighs as she puts the book she has finished reading on her lap. Her eyes overlay, staring dreamily at a cup of tea in front of her as if the half sipped brown liquid inside is the most magnificent thing she has ever seen. Her lips pulls a wide smile on her face.

"More tea, dear?"

Awaken from her trance, she lifts her head up and sees her Gran-gran pours tea from a teapot in her hands. A wonderful scent of jasmine roams to each corner in the room.

"Yes, please," she says, only to be as nice as to respond to the question.

"I see you borrowed another book from the library. I assume a romance one?" the elder asks when she notices the book on the girl's lap.

"Yes! Oh, Gran-gran, it's very enchanting and romantic—it's _amazing_!" she clasps her hands together and sighs again. "My favorite part is the ending which I won't tell you about it because you have to read it for yourself! It's a happy ending so you don't have to worry. I've always loved happy endings. Especially your happy ending, Gran-gran. Yours is my favorite!"

The elder smiles, adding wrinkles to her already ornamented feature. "Why so?"

"Because you married Grandpa Aang, the Avatar! You must be the happiest woman in the world. Your love life is perfectly blithesome! I can't wait to experience love myself!"

The curve on Katara's lips fades as she listens to the girl. Her chest suddenly stuffed with something which she's not certain herself of what it is. It feels like she's been stabbed by her own grand daughter's words.

"Now, Jenora. Listen to me," she says, patting a spot next to her. Jenora follows her grand mother's gesture and moves closer. "If you really want to experience love, then promise me one thing; go for someone that you _truly _love with all your heart. Don't be afraid of what you'll lose. Understand?"

"If I do that then I'll get my happy ending too, like you?" the girl asks hopingly.

Katara looks away as her mind forms an image of a former Fire Prince she knew long time ago. "Oh, you'll get your happy ending, alright." She smiles tenderly at the young airbender. "But unlike mine."


	6. Makes Me Wonder

**Makes Me Wonder – Maroon 5**

He brings his hand to his head and massages his temples, hoping that his thumb and index finger can shoo away the perpetually torturing throbbing in his head.

"Ugh," he groans as he struggles to open his eyes. The weight on his eyelids seems to be greater than the wall of Ba Sing Se. His skin tickles when the sunlight creeps into his room and showers him with warmth, insisting him to revive and rise with the sun. For once, he curses himself for being a firebender.

When his sight is finally clear, he turns his head to the other side of the bed. Strands of long dark hair comes to his vision, decorating the red pillow. The scarlet cover scatters his recognition from identifying the familiar owner.

Zuko furrows his brows, scrimmaging to memorize what has happened last night—_who's the brunette lying next to him_. He intends to facepalm as his eyes finds an azure pendant of a necklace on the side table but the massive headache tells him not to.

_Damn it_, he mouths. _Not again_.

A certain black haired girl comes to his mind. His girlfriend, the skilled knife thrower noblewoman. His paramour. His soon-to-be Fire Lady.

The Fire Lord grimaces, imagining himself pinned against a wall with knives jabbed two centimeters from his neck, armpits, wrists, waist, and thighs. _Mai's gonna kill me_.

He leans upon his elbows and pulls himself upward slowly, trying to sit up. His back is now rested on the head board.

He has been here before. Stressed by the burdening duties of being the responsible one of his country, sharing the finest sparkling cactus juice imported from the Earth Kingdom with his friends to wipe away his worries, gets drunk, dozes off to Ember Island and hooks up with the water tribe girl.

He's not sure whether to regret it or not because the waterbender makes it too good for him to stop. While he knows every time he returns to the palace he ends up being assassinated by the knife thrower.

The blanket falls out of bed as the person beneath it shifts, revealing herself to the man next to her. Her eyes fluttered open and immediately catches his.

"Good morning," she says between her delightful smiles. And just by that, the Fire Lord wonders why he even has a thought of regretting this.


	7. If I Fell

**If I Fell - The Beatles**

_"I'm sure he still does."_

_"What? Don't be ridiculous. My brother might be an idiot sometimes but when it comes to those things, he's the one I look up to."_

_"I'm serious, Katara! I saw him sneaking out to the backyard every night just to sit on a boulder and stare at the sky with vacant eyes."_

_"Suki, Yue is his past. He loves you now. You don't have to worry about such non-sense."_

_"Nonsense? The moon spirit was his first love. And from what I've learned, your feelings towards them won't change __**no matter what**__."_

"Katara, are you listening?" A voice startles her. She immediately shrugs off her reverie and regains awareness of her surroundings.

"Pardon?" she asks, blinking her eyes repeatedly.

"I was telling you about what happened on today's meeting," her lover says.

A silence fills the atmosphere while the young man waits for her to say something.

"I... I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"Do you have something on your mind?" he asks, a worried look on his face.

"What? No! Of course not! Obviously I'm not thinking about something that's bothering me!" She waves her hand in front of his face. She receives a suspicious stare from the firebender. "What?"

"You know we both suck at lying."

Katara bites her lower lip and glares at her lap. A hand touches her shoulder but she doesn't dare to look up.

"What's bothering you?"

She shakes her head. Zuko touches her chin and lifts her head to look into her eyes. "You can tell me anything."

She tries to search for another excuse but the statement he has said is indeed true. Moreover, he's not going to buy whatever lie she's going to tell with that serious look.

"Do you... still have feelings for Mai?"

Now's his turn to break the silence.

"Come here." He takes her hands in his and pulls her closer. "I want to know what makes you doubt my feelings for you."

Katara hesitates for a moment before she answers. "Well… You know Sokka's first girlfriend, right?"

"The one who turned into the moon?"

"Yes. Suki claims that he sneaks out every night to watch the moon. She thinks that he still loves Yue because she's his first love..." her voice fades as she finishes.

Zuko nods. "I agree with her. I think he still loves Yue."

"So you agree that first loves are hard to forget? That we will still have feelings toward them no matter what?"

He nods again. "Yes."

She yanks her hands from his grasp. "I can't believe it!"

"What?"

"You still have feelings for Mai!"

"I don't have feelings for Mai."

"But you uphold Suki's statement about first loves!"

"I do."

"Then you still love her!"

"I don't."

Katara folds her arms on her chest, tired of arguing. Not to mention _confused_. "Do you still have feelings for your first love?" she asks again, just to make sure.

"Yes," he answers doubtlessly.

She's ready to turn her back on him and run off her anger but he grabs her wrist.

"Look, I know you think I still have feelings for Mai but the fact is, I don't."

"But you said—"

"I'm not finished. The reason I still have feelings for my first love is that Mai's not her. She's not that person. She's not my first love. You are."

Another silence fills in. "Well… that's just silly, everyone knows you dated her before me."

"It's true. I fell for you long before Mai and I got together. Why do you think we broke up? Because I love you more than her."

At a loss of words, the waterbender can only glance away as her face starts to blush.


	8. Best Of Me

**Sum 41 - Best of Me**

**This takes place exactly at Southern Raiders episode.**

Zuko brings his hand up to his chest and clutches the fabric of his shirt just at the spot where his heart lies within his limbs, thumping regularly steady yet for some reason, it hurts.

He winces at the pain, feeling odd at finding the waterbender's words could easily stab him so deep. He even wonders whether the pain is going to be permanent or not. He's certain about the former.

Okay, apparently what she said is true; she was the first one to trust him, back in Ba Sing Se. And then he turned his back on her, on all of them. But why is she the only one dwelling on that issue? Aang has forgiven him, so has Sokka. Toph is the first one to accept him in the group and Suki just does whatever Sokka does so she too has forgiven him. This leaves Katara the only one hating him.

Normally, he couldn't be bothered by this. He's not the kind of guy who cares about how people judge him. His uncle has taught him to not let those people burden him and just think positively instead. Eventually, they'll understand.

However, knowing the fact that the Water Tribe girl loathes him so much causes uneasiness in his soul. Suddenly, he's come to care what people—no, what _she_ thinks of him.

He must apologize, so he thinks. Mourning on his mistakes won't get him anywhere. If it necessitates him begging for her forgiveness, pleading on his knees, bowing low until the tip of his nose brushes the ground, so be it. He has lost the authority of his honored title anyway.

And that's the reason why the former crown prince of the fire nation is sitting on a small boulder outside the waterbender's tent, fighting back the drowsiness that seems to overcome him, his inner heat rising as the chill of the night wind sends shivers down his spine.

He has figured something out when he talked to Sokka. And waiting like this is just one of his attempts to show her a better side of him.


End file.
